Episode 110 (Epilogue): Preconception Health

It is not just health during pregnancy that is important to positive outcomes in both mother and baby, but also before becoming pregnant. Tonight’s show discussed the subject of preconception health, joined by guests Beth Moran and Dr. Deanine Picciano.

Beth Moran, co-founder of the Guild of Holistic Practitioners, ARNP of Integrated Wellness, and graduate of Pennsylvania Hospital, Mary Mount Manhattan College, and the Margaret Sanger Center. Beth discussed signs of ovulation, simple things a woman can do to ensure a health pregnancy, and preconception decisions both for lifestyle as well as the ideal time to begin attempting pregnancy. Additionally, the issues of pregnancy losses, professional conception care, male reproductive health, and preconception office visits were discussed. To contact Beth Moran, you can call her at 6313297390, or visit her website at http://bethmoran.net/

Dr. Deanine Picciano expanded upon information surrounding preconception health, speaking to the feminine energy of women and Red Tent Wisdom (wisdom surrounding menstruation). Dr. Picciano stressed the importance of individualized care, and emphasized getting to know one’s own body to best select health options. She then discussed issues surrounding the menstrual cycle such as shame, stigma, and the coming of age process. To learn more about your own cycle, you can attend Dr. Deanine Picciano’s workshop, the Red Tent Workshop. Information about the workshop can be found on Dr. Deanine Picciano’s Facebook page, and is occurring November 30th at Rosemary court. You may also visit her website at http://drdeanine.com/

Birth in the news:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131101172408.htm
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/baby-born-typhoon-article-

Important links:
http://www.rosemarybirthinghome.com/
http://drdeanine.com/
http://prenatalcoach.com/category/preconception/
www.cdc.gov/showyourlove

BOOKS:
Becoming Parents  by Pamela L. Jordan - Scott M. Stanley - Howard J. Markman
Parenting Begins Before Conception  by Carista Luminare - Rosen, Ph.D.
The Conception Mandala  by Mark Olsen and Samuel Avital
Natural Fertility and Pregnancy   by Anne Charlish and Kim Davies
Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler

Episode 110: Preconception Health

Join the Conversation tonight, Tuesday, November 12th at 6pm ET as Carmela and Cheryl discuss preconception health with studio guests Harmony Miller and Deanine Picciano. Have a question for our hosts or expert guests? Please email us or post to our facebook page.

Tune into WSLR 96.5 LPFM or online at wslr.org tonight, Tuesday, November 12th at 6:00pm ET. The program will also available later in the evening via podcast at maternallyyoursradio.com.

For more information or to submit questions for our hosts our our guest, please contact the hostesses of Maternally Yours at MaternallyYoursRadio@gmail.com, or on our facebook page at facebook.com/maternallyyours.

Maternally Yours, 

Cheryl, Carmela, Ryan and Laura

Episode 63 (Epilogue): Family Planning

 

Tonight’s show was focused on family planning. Hostess Cheryl welcomed Nan Gould, a Sexual Health Educator from Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, and Dr. Deanine Picciano Kirschner, who is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, acupuncture physician and licensed massage therapist.

            We began our discussion with a general overview of the menstrual cycle, of particular importance because, as Nan noted, many individuals have some confusion related to how fertility works and when individuals are most and least fertile.

We then talked to Nan about pregnancy prevention, and she shared with us the pros and cons of various birth control methods. We focused both on the common prescription methods, such as the pill, the patch, the shot, the ring, the IUD, and the implant, as well as non-prescription methods such as fertility awareness, withdraw, and condoms. We talked about the pros and cons of each method, as well as the importance of individual preference for dictating what will work best.

            Next we talked to Dr. Piccian Kirschner about planning for pregnancy and conception, and the steps that one can take in order to make their body more ready for a healthy pregnancy. She talked about the different ways in which one can get ready for pregnancy, focusing on mental, emotional, and physical aspects of preparation.

            We closed our show with a listener question session. Topics ranged from debunking the old adage of “two’s company, three’s a crowd,” to different kinds of hysterectomies, to fertility after stopping birth control, and pregnancy planning for young professionals.

            Finally, we want to share with your our results from out listener poll! We asked our listeners what kind of birth control method they relied on. We received 76 respondents in our online poll about birth control methods. The most popular forms of birth control, according to our listeners, were condoms, which were used by 28.9% of listeners, and fertility awareness, which was used by 27.6%. The withdraw ("pull-out" method) was also very popular, used by 22.4% of listeners. 85.7% of this time this method was used with another method, most often Fertility Awareness, which made up 66.7% of the respondents who used withdraw and another method. 17.1% respondents and 6.6% of respondents, respectively, reported that they relied on vasectomies or tubal ligation. Abstinence was also a popular methods, reportedly used by 10.5% of our participants, but 62.5% of respondents reported using this method with some other form of birth control. The birth control pill, either combination or progestin only ("mini-pill") was used by 10.5 percent of respondents, but only 37.5% reported using this as their only form of birth control. The hormonal IUD was used by 5.3% of respondents, while 6.6% reported using the copper IUD. 6.6% of respondents also reported that they were leaving family planning to a higher power, while 1.3% of our respondents reported that they were trying to conceive.